Chapter 4


January 21st, 2025

"I hate mornings. I hate them. Sooooooooo much hate." I glared at everything impartially; the computer on my desk, the NerveGear sitting beside it, my cat who was blinking blearily at me. I swung myself out of bed, groaning. "Why do I ever have to get up? Sleeping is so enjoyable, and then I have to wake up." Whining and bitching made me feel better, at least. I stumbled downstairs, searching for something to eat. Unfortunately, I needed to make my own breakfast. I searched through the refrigerator, strangely sullen at having to make my own food. I was never at my best in the mornings.

I walked back upstairs with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in my hand. My cat followed me all the way back to my room, meowing for a bite. I sighed. "Kitten-cat, I don't know why you want any of this. It's not even meat." His only response was a strident meow. "Fine, fine. You can have some." Using my fork, I separated a bit of the egg and offered it to him. He sniffed it and walked away, refusing to eat it. "I don't know why I bother," I mumbled. "Stupid cat."

Throughout the morning, I surfed the net, looking for information on Alfheim Online. The important thing I was searching for was information on the travel from Cait Sith territory to Alne via the Ruger Corridor; monster spawns, maps, environmental hazards, that sort of information. There was a surprising wealth of arguments on the internet, although few definitive sources of information. Then again, it was the internet, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Nobody could ever agree on information regarding games; I noticed at least three mutually exclusive reports on the nature of the mob spawns in the area. One forum claimed they were Trolls; another claimed only various wyverns showed up there, and the third claimed that neither spawned there. I only rolled my eyes and gave up trying to find information about what to expect. The best I could do was download a map of the Ruger Corridor; there were apparently plenty of dead ends, so I tried my best to memorize the path I was going to take. I didn't do too well with actual directions - I preferred to learn by repetition and building mental maps - but if I termed it in terms of direction changes it would stick in my mind. I also did my best to be able to call up a map of the Ruger Corridor in my mind's eye, although that was less of a success. I shrugged, giving up entirely. It wasn't as if I couldn't handle whatever the game could throw at me.

The only thing left to do to kill time was searching for information on magic. From what I could tell, magic operated on a vocalization structure, where the caster would speak certain words in a certain rhythm. The resulting 'sentence' of magic keywords would then be converted to the spell desired if the caster had enough MP remaining to cast it. The system had flaws that allowed it to be countered; first, the caster had to remain in deep concentration. That meant that my initial thought was correct; that when I threw my knife at the player I had fought the day before, I had done the correct thing. Apparently, the other weakness of the spellcasting system was that if you stumbled on a word or broke the rhythm, the spell backfired, doing a large amount of damage to the caster and canceling the spell. It seemed far too risky, but apparently some of the abilities were amazing. There was a high-level Dark spell called Moonlit Mirror that apparently let you converse with another player across large distances without sending messages. It sounded too good to be true; with that, communication would be instant. The only drawback that I could find was, of course, the fact that the caster had to actually cast it.

Lower-level spells cost lest and could be cast quicker; the spell 'sentence' for the weaker spells were shorter and easier to pronounce. Of course, the trade-off for speed and ease of use was always power and shock factor. Stronger spells could, if a skilled wizard were casting it, come out as fast as a weak spell, but unfortunately I would probably never be a skilled mage. I preferred my dagger too much; there was just something about the up-close fighting that I enjoyed. It wasn't enjoyment of the attacking, per se; it was more a reaction to the thrill of the strike and counter-strike. It could be a remnant of the time spent in SAO as well; a subconscious need to use my dagger that represented who I was.

Assuming that I was going to eventually commanding a wide variety of players - I was still interested in organizing raids, a fun intellectual challenge - I needed to figure out how to properly utilize mages. If I were a party leader with a group of several mages, I'd have to make sure they could cast in peace. That would require that they had a dedicated group of defenders that protected them from any attackers. The only flaw in that plan would be that anybody that could eliminate or pass by the defenders somehow would have a free shot at any of the mages; if they were to take out one, the resulting surprise and fear would probably prevent the rest of the mages from casting spells. There was really no way to counter that loss of concentration; humans would be humans no matter what I could do.

I pushed my chair back and stretched, standing up. I was going to be busy during the afternoon and evening, so I had to get my exercise in early, before lunch. I slowly got ready to begin, grumbling about how I hated mornings the entire time.

After eating lunch and preparing my dinner for later - leaving a note on it in case my mother got back before I ate it, although that wasn't likely given the fact that she didn't return until very late - I got ready to dive into the world of Alfheim Online. Argo's question still echoed in my head; did I miss Aincrad? How could I miss fighting for my life every day? The very concept was ridiculous, and yet... I went out of my way to find a physical activity that would let me fight occasionally. It wasn't an absurd stretch or leap of logic to think that I actually enjoyed fighting for my life. But I had already gone over that in my head; I enjoyed the chance to show off my skills and the thrill of victory, not the actual fighting in itself. I was naturally competitive; that was what drove me to be the best. The enjoyment of winning was just my reward for being the best. Or was all that logic and calm, thought-out diagnosis of my character just my way of rationalizing that I liked hurting others? I hadn't wanted to brutalize Gilvs when we fought; but I had no problem going over the top in injuring him once I had an excuse.

It would have been better to just let it go, to just walk away from the tournament. I hadn't needed to be so obvious – I could have ignored the fighting, or just fought like a normal person. But I didn't, did I? With only a little hesitation, I had decided to fight in a large tournament with plenty of people watching, just so I could 'teach Gilvs a lesson'. Was fighting all I knew, all I wanted?

I shook myself with an effort and relaxed. Violence-addicted asshole or victory-obsessed asshole, I still knew two things: I was an asshole and I needed to get going or I'd miss Kirito. I forced myself to push my particular issues to the back of my mind and smirked. Time to save Asuna. "Link start!"

When my vision was restored, I was sleeping in the same bed I had logged out in the night before. "That's convenient." I stood and stretched out of habit; I didn't feel stiffness in the virtual reality of Alfheim, but some things were just too ubiquitous to ignore. "Well, better get going. I wouldn't want to miss my reunion with Kirito." I exited the inn I had stayed in for the night and squinted at the bright light, raising a hand to shade my eyes. "This whole super bright sun thing is going to get annoying. I don't remember it being this bad in Aincrad." Regardless, I started making my way out of the city limits. Nobody bothered me, though I did take a small detour and pick up more throwing knives. The poison knife had proved its worth, and I wanted more of each. Versatility was important, after all. I didn't know if some monsters had physical resistance, and I didn't particularly want to find out.

Once I was out of the city limits, I cracked my knuckles, careful not to injure myself with my own Dragontalons, and summoned my wings. I needed to get going quickly, and that meant speeding away as quickly as possible. I probably could have gone faster had I started from a higher position, and I suddenly realized the reason for the large castle. I blinked, half-tempted to go back, but when I looked behind me Freelia was already receding in the distance. I sighed and forged onward, gaining height as I increased my speed.

The joy of flying was really something else. I wasn't constrained by gravity any more, and I didn't have to worry about falling down and taking damage. I spun in midair, enjoying the feeling of the wind as I rushed toward my destination. It was something I'd always enjoy; I had always liked stronger winds, and now just by wanting to I could experience them. I smiled; could I go faster? It was time to find out. I had been one of the fastest players in Aincrad, and I wanted to see if I could say the same thing here. I concentrated; by doing something that felt like pushing off against the air, I managed to increase my speed. I tried doing that several more times until it felt like I was barely in control of my motions; I was pushing against the speed barrier. If I had wanted to, I could have tried to up my speed more, but it was no matter. I was probably ahead of schedule anyway. I didn't need to go the absolute limit of what the game allowed.

Besides, it would have been embarrassing if I managed to lose control of my character.

Time passed; I saw different flying mobs available to be fought, but I didn't bother with them. I didn't particularly need to increase my skills, and the accompanying danger of fighting mobs in the air was something I didn't need to worry about. I just wanted to get to the Ruger Corridor as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, time and game mechanics were against me; I felt myself start to slow down. I looked back, confused as to the cause of my sudden negative acceleration, and my eyes widened; my golden wings were no longer glowing. "Damn." That was probably the time limit on my wings I had heard of. Reluctantly, I started to descend, regretting the necessity of touching the ground again. Flying was dangerously addictive, I realized. Just the ability to ignore the constraints of gravity for a few hours was enough to get my heart racing; I could understand why the players of the game all wanted to reach the top of the World Tree. It was too bad only one race could receive the reward; it was an interesting way to set up the game. The game designers could have gambled on humanity's innate selfishness in designing the Grand Quest; after all, no race wanted to just be the assistant when they could be the victors. If players were to help another race reach the top of the World Tree, there would be no benefit for them. No sane, rational human would do that. So the conflicts raged on as the races struggled for dominance, one trying to accumulate enough of the scarce resources to finally challenge and succeed against the game's Grand Quest. Of course, since every group was trying to do that, clashes would be inevitable. As the races seemed fairly balanced, the overall victor would remain in a state of flux as one race would gain and then lose the advantage, sometimes in the same day.

My feet touched the ground and I stumbled a few feet as I rediscovered the 'joys' of gravity. I sighed. It looked like I would have no choice but to run; my wings would probably recharge along the way, I reasoned. I was fast on the ground too, so there was no point in wasting time. In any event, I wasn't hungry so there was no point in stopping. Preparing myself, I took a deep breath and took off sprinting. I had dodged trees while running at a full sprint before and I would again. The first time I had done that, I was running toward the source of a scream - that was when I had met Silica. Kirito and I had saved her from a trio of strong monsters and helped her revive her familiar dragon. I smiled at the memories, although they were relatively bittersweet; I had, at the beginning, been deliberately isolating myself from others as a result of feeling betrayed. I had believed that both Kirito and Asuna had left me, forcing me to fend for myself. For two months I had fought and struggled alone until I had met Silica. Her agony over losing her dragon pet had reminded me of my own cat and how I would have felt had I lost Emmit; somehow, that managed to crack my shell of willful ignorance. The second time I had raced through trees like what I was doing at the moment, I was trying desperately to reach a trio of players that were being attacked by the Laughing Coffin, a gang of player killers. Those memories were more bitter than sweet, although I had managed to rekindle my friendship with Asuna at the end of the incident.

My introspection came to a very abrupt end as I ran into the back of a very solid player. I bounced back a good seven feet as my momentum reversed itself suddenly and without warning. I rubbed the back of my head. "Ow..." I looked up. And then up some more until I reached the face of the player I had run into. "Sorry about that. I guess I wasn't really watching where I was going." He was almost as big as Agil, a monumental feat in and of itself.

The big guy grinned. "I believe it was my fault, as I was just standing around anyway." He offered a hand to me, but I waved it away, standing up under my own power. "I find I'm often in the way of my partners."

I brushed myself off and straightened my coat, surreptitiously making sure my knives were still in their correct positions. "Are there more...roadblocks in the vicinity? I'd hate to run into someone less forgiving than you."

"Just my friends. Come, you might as well walk with me until we get there." Not taking no for an answer, the player clapped me on the shoulder and drew me in the direction he was going. I shrugged off his hand, not particularly liking physical contact, but followed him anyway. Like he said, if there were more players it wouldn't hurt to take a break. As we walked, I studied the player. He was tall and sturdy, with an overall brown motif. That would probably make him a Gnome, I figured, given that their typical color was brown and they were one of the larger races. The large bastard sword on his back didn't escape my notice either, though it was still sheathed. Bastard swords were large hand-and-a-half swords that could be wielded with either one or two hands, depending on the user's strength parameter. I had only met one other player that used one, and I had been forced to kill him. It was legitimate self-defense; he had been a Laughing Coffin member and had tried to kill me. Either way, the bastard sword didn't have the best history for me. I didn't drop my guard; the large Gnome player seemed 'friendly' enough, but I had enough experience with people to know that anybody could be a killer.

Before long, I followed the Gnome into a relatively large clearing. As I entered, another player looked up from where she was resting under the tree. "Found a stray, Greg?" she asked. I studied her; she appeared to be an Imp by the purple tint to her hair and eyes. Her skin was pale, and she seemed both developed and aware of that fact, if her choice in outfit was any hint. I saw the hilt of a rapier strapped to her side.

The Gnome, Greg, chuckled. "Ran into him, or more accurately, him into me."

I laughed sheepishly; I was good at faking giving a damn. "Yeah, sorry about that, again. I was thinking instead of watching where I was going."

The Imp giggled. It wasn't an unpleasant sound, but something about it grated on my ears. I hated noise. "Don't worry about it. Greg's not exactly small, so it's fine." She stood up and dusted herself off before offering her hand. "I'm Ziria. Nice to meet'cha!"

I stared at her hand. "No offense, but I don't like physical contact." I waved instead. "The name's Rythin."

Ziria grinned. "It's fine, it's fine." She seemed to be naturally energetic. "Might as well introduce you to the rest of the gang while you're waiting for your wings." She hesitated, her grin faltering. "Er... you are waiting for your wings to recharge, right?" I nodded, and she grinned again. "Awright, cool!" She whirled around and started pointing at various players scattered around the grove. I didn't really bother to pay attention to their names. It wasn't as if I cared. I'd stick around for a while, chat, then take off again once my wings were restored. "...and this is Eryin," Ziria concluded. I waved politely, as I had done for the rest of them, as Eryin briefly paused from playing some strange music to grin and wave before returning to her music. I hadn't noticed that she was playing songs earlier; her instrument of choice seemed to be some sort of panpipes. "So, how's it going?"

I realized with a start that Ziria was very suddenly in my face. I yawned and shrugged. "Not too bad, I guess. I was heading toward the Ruger Corridor to meet up with my friends, but I'm getting hungry." I sank to the ground and leaned against a tree, resting. I wasn't sure why I had told them the truth; I just felt like I could trust them, I supposed. I closed my eyes, getting ready to log out to get something to eat, and something occurred to me.

I trusted literally nobody with the four exceptions of Asuna, Kirito, Argo, and Yui. I didn't even trust my own parents, the majority the time. Why would I suddenly trust a full party of strangers that I had just met and barely been introduced to with sensitive information, as well as my sleeping form? I had been a half breath away from logging out to get something to eat. I was hungrier than I had realized; the sun was no longer shining as brightly. It was probably something to do with the fact that I was no longer on the island, but my mind was interpreting that as being later in the day. Thus, my stomach wanted to be filled. I hated my body sometimes.

Once my mind was aware of the strange effect on me, it no longer worked. The music Eryin was making sounded sinister and slightly off, instead of pleasant. I was forcibly reminded about the relatively magical properties of musical instruments; some instruments could cause effects on other players. Hers was probably something that dulled the senses of players, making them more willing to trust the user. That meant that this particular group was probably a group of gankers. I kept my eyes closed, trying to keep my body as loose as possible and breathing regular. If I could fool them, they might give me an opening to escape - or defend myself.

After a minute, my patience was rewarded. "Is he out of it?" Ziria's voice wasn't as ebullient as it had been before. She sounded almost like Rosalia; the leader of an Orange Guild called Titan's Hand in Aincrad. She had tried to rob Silica while Kirito and I were helping her; it didn't end well for her at all. She ended up in jail with the rest of Titan's Hand. "Greg, go get him. Poor guy, but he's asking for it, wandering around a Neutral Zone alone."

I waited patiently until a shadow fell over my face; I didn't see it, but I felt the difference. The second that I was certain he was leaning over me, I snapped open my eyes and clenched my right fist. I drove it upwards, straight into his gut. With a jerk, I pulled it out, leaving rends in his stomach. He gaped at me, before clutching for his bastard sword. Bastard - I knew he was going to be one. I used my skill at maneuvering my body to lift my lower body and spin around, slamming my heel into Greg's chin. He went down like a stone, knocked over by the strength of my kick. "Surprise," I growled, taking in the situation. I needed to eliminate my biggest threat. I flicked out my left hand, freeing the fire knife, and threw it at Eryin. It streaked forward, slamming into her pipes before causing a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, small polygons drifted away; I regretted the loss of a knife but I welcomed the destruction of her pipes more. "Sorry about the instrument, but I don't really like that style of music. That style, of course, refers to whatever you were playing."

"Hey!" Eryin snarled. Her music must have been a sensitive subject. To be fair, though, I would have been put out if the first thing somebody did after waking up was shatter my harp or lute and then insult the music.

"Bite me." I gauged the overall combative properties of my opponents; Greg was likely mostly out for the count, but I couldn't rely on his staying out of the fight for long. For the moment, however, I didn't need to worry about him. Combat strength: zero, but possibly anywhere up to seven or eight. As he was the player chosen to kill me, he was likely strong. I shifted to Eryin. Her specialty as a Pooka was music; since I had destroyed her pipes, that more or less neutralized her. Of course, anybody intelligent would carry multiple weapons. Combat strength: two to four. I looked over to one of the Undine players that I didn't even remember the name of. She was a sword and shield user, but she didn't seem that confident in her abilities. Combat strength: three to five. The other Undine player held a staff; probably a mage. The Undine race specialized in healing magic, but a dedicated mage could learn attack magics. Combat strength: either one to two or five to seven, depending on the magics known. Acting on the best case scenario was always a stupid idea, so I chose to err on the side of caution. The last member of the party was a Leprechaun with a hammer; they were probably the blacksmith of the group. However, the way he held the hammer suggested he knew how to use it on something other than just an anvil. Combat strength: five or six. I organized the threats in order of relevance; the order I would attack would be the Undine mage, the Leprechaun, the other Undine, and Eryin. Greg would become the priority target as soon as he was aware enough to speak. I discounted Ziria as a threat; she was backing away with fear in her eyes and her hand was nowhere near her rapier. "Back off now, let me go on my way, and nothing else will happen." Well, that gave them a way out. I hoped they'd take it.

"Sorry," sighed the Leprechaun. "But it's Ha- Ziria's orders." He swung his hammer through the air, trying to intimidate me. "I do regret this."

"Is it worth pointing out you tried to mess with me first?" I sighed. "I always try to give them an out," I muttered to the air. "They never want to take it. Why do they never take it?" I showed off what I could do by incapacitating Greg and Eryin within five seconds of each other. It wasn't my fault if I killed them by defending myself. "Let's get going, then. I don't have all day," I said. The sword-wielding Undine tried to catch my attention by slicing at me; I dodged under her strike and launched myself toward the mage. She had started to rapidly chant a spell; I didn't know what it was, but I didn't want to find out. I pushed off the ground, landing in just behind her. "Sorry," I muttered as I turned around and clenched my fists. With a quick combo, I tore holes through her body - mage robes weren't exactly the best protection available. With a scream, she faded away into a blue flame. It flickered dully in the sunlight. Target one eliminated; on to the Leprechaun. He turned around in surprise at the sudden death of his colleague; by the time he reacted, I was already up inside the reach of his hammer, kneeing him in the chest. My leaping knee allowed me to both knock him down and use him as a springboard to regain my position.

I landed lightly on the ground just in time to duck a wild swipe from the Undine I had ignored before. I tried to sneak an uppercut under her guard, but the shield caught the edge of my gloves and stopped them from reaching her chin. I swore briefly and jumped away again as she tried to skewer me with a straight thrust. Maybe taking on a full ganking party wasn't such a smart idea after all, although I had managed to eliminate two of the five members. In the corner of my eye, I saw the Leprechaun stagger to his feet; I performed some rapid calculations and grinned. I landed and launched myself toward him. Naturally, I expected him to try to smash me on my way in; the same trick probably wouldn't work twice. That being said, I used a new trick by tucking and rolling under his blow, drawing my dagger and slicing out as soon as I got to my feet. I briefly thanked my karate instructor for forcing us to learn how to tumble properly - it was coming in handy. My dagger sliced from his right hip to his left shoulder; as soon as it was free, I flipped my grasp and lashed out toward his throat with the edge of the dagger. It cut deeply into his throat, but came out the other side. To finish off the Leprechaun, I drove the point of my dagger straight into his forehead, ending his life. His avatar faded into a steel-colored ball of flame.

Feeling someone behind me, I threw myself forward just in time as a sword cleaved through the air where my back used to be. If that had hit me, I would have been dead for certain. Pushing off the ground with my right hand, I sheathed my dagger again. The Undine's shield would protect her from most of the attacks I made with it unless I went around her. Before I could do more than just identify the problem, Greg stirred with a groan. I stifled my own and dashed over to him. I pressed my knee against his throat and bent down next to his ear. "Stay down unless you want to die as well." His eyes met mine for a brief second before flicking over my right shoulder. I sighed; people always looked where their partner was attacking from. Jumping away from my previous position, I looped behind the player that was about to attack me just in time to see Eryin plunging a dagger into Greg's forehead. She had been unable to stop herself in time and killed her ally. Bad way to go; friendly fire wasn't, as the saying went. I tapped her on the shoulder as Greg burst into orange flames. "Bad luck this time. Maybe next time don't stab your own teammate, hm?" I drew my dagger and slit her throat, sending her off to death with a spinning back kick to ensure her demise. "One left."

The Undine's desire to kill me was wavering - if I had to guess, it had never really been that strong to begin with. I had taken out three - and a half, but Greg's death was technically an assist - of his teammates without taking a scratch of damage. As soon as I saw her sword point dip, I had my opening. I dashed toward him quickly, covering the distance between us in a blink of the eye. I remembered Kayaba's duel with Kirito when he was still masquerading as Heathcliff; Kirito had managed to break through his guard by striking the shield just perfectly. I drew my left fist back and punched at her shield rather than the Undine; as expected, she met the strike with the center of her shield, whimpering. The only problem with her strategy was the simple fact that I was stronger than her; his shield was knocked off center, and I used the rotation to spin around and land an axe kick on her neck. She dropped like a stone, and I killed her swiftly and efficiently. There was no sense prolonging the pain or humiliation - she hadn't hurt my friends. It was just business.

I started to turn, to survey the battlefield and make sure there was no nasty surprise waiting for me, when I received a nasty surprise. "Don't move," Ziria ordered, her voice grim as the point of what I assumed to be her rapier pressed against the back of my neck. "I can skewer you right here and now."

I blinked. "I see. So you play more of a role than just lure, is that it? You're the last one, the one that ambushes an enemy that thinks he's victorious."

"You're smart. I could use someone like that in our group." I could hear the smirk in her voice. "And you're obviously a Renegade like us, traveling alone through Neutral Territory, so why not, right? C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Let me guess." I thought back to the fight I had just finished. "Eryin lulls them to sleep with her music and panpipes, then one of the others kills the sleeper. You're acting all friendly and such to increase and hasten the effects of the music. The others are there to handle any issues that may arise, such as the one that just wiped out your party."

"You know, that's interesting." Despite the calm tones both of us were using, the rapier wasn't budging an inch. "Why didn't you go to sleep or log out? Most people do."

I laughed shortly. There wasn't much humor in the sound. "I trusted you."

"I don't follow."

"I don't trust anybody. When I suddenly felt like going to sleep in a place that wasn't a Safe Zone, there was definitely something wrong."

"Wow." Ziria chuckled. "I don't think I've ever heard of someone beating a trust spell because it worked. You're something else, guy."

"And as for your offer to join up with you, I'm afraid I'll have to decline. For one, I'm not Renegade. For another, I've got to meet up with my friends fairly soon, and I think they'd have an issue with me having become a ganker."

"Sorry, but that leaves me no choice but to defeat you!"

"And I'm afraid I can't let you do that." I activated my Sprint skill and, at the full speed I was capable of moving, dashed to the left. The second I was away from the point of the rapier, I doubled back and stood just behind her. To Ziria, it would look as if I disappeared. I coughed politely, and she whirled, trying to stab me. She was nowhere near Asuna's speed, and I struck the rapier with a kick and twisted, knocking it away from her hands. I straightened up and turned to stare at her, dagger in my hand and pointed at her. "Like I said, I'm meeting friends soon. So I can't die here." I smirked. "Besides, I don't take orders well." I would only follow from people that had my loyalty, and that was an impressive four.

Ziria sighed. "Fine, kill me. Just get it over with."

I shrugged. "I'd rather not, all things considered. Can I trust your group to leave me alone if I logged out now?" I had found in past experience that when you showed mercy, people were far more likely to do something for you. I was starting to get hungry, after all. "I'll pay you with the stuff I received from the fight." If Ziria didn't agree, I'd just kill her and log out anyway. The death timer lasted ten minutes; I could eat and be back in the game in less time than that. But why kill needlessly?

She stared at me. "You just killed five of the six of us, and you're asking if we can watch you while you grab something to eat?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. Also, I'd like to clarify: it was only four, and I did offer you all the chance to surrender."

She gaped at me, incredulous. Then, surprisingly, she laughed. "You're interesting, guy, I'll give you that. Yeah, sure, we can watch you. I give you my word we won't mess with you. Besides, you'd probably come after us if we took anything." She had probably guessed at the outcome if she had said no. I gathered she didn't want to die herself.

I grinned. "For what it's worth, your plan was excellent. It worked flawlessly, and I'm assuming it's worked in the past. You just didn't account for the fact that I was a psychotic freak who hates everything." The problem with relying solely on surprise attacks and tricks like this particular group was that when it failed, the surprise attackers were out of luck. Once I had the upper hand, they had no idea how to handle someone who could actually fight back. It also didn't help that my stats were ridiculous, but that was a different matter entirely. I could still be taken down by groups of players if they knew how to fight together; these six didn't.

"Just get going. Your safe limit is over in fifteen minutes. After that, your body's fair game."

"Deal." I laid down under the shade of the tree I had started out only a few minutes previously. I didn't miss the irony. "I won't be the whole time, so don't worry."

As I opened my eyes, I didn't have time to let my body slowly adjust to the heavier gravity of the real world. I forced myself off the bed and stumbled down the stairs, trying to get my meal. I looked at the clock while the plate of meatloaf and potatoes I had prepared previously was being microwaved; it was already seven at night. I frowned; Kirito was probably waiting for me. I didn't want to end up being late. After my food was finished heating up, I snatched it out of the microwave and started scarfing down the meal. I'd digest it while I was back in the game. I felt better about the way I handled the situation; I tried to give them an out, and once they accepted it I didn't keep fighting. I was tempted to call Argo, but I knew I would lose track of time and let my body be killed if I did. Regretfully, I stayed away from my computer.

I logged back in to find that Ziria had kept her word. The other fighters had been revived and were sitting around, muttering to themselves. I stretched and approached Ziria. "Here's the stuff I got from the fight." I opened up a trade window and offered everything I had won, including the Yrd; I might be a ruthless fighter, but I kept my word. Apparently, so did Ziria. I started to leave the glade, but turned back and waved. "Sorry about that, really. I didn't want to fight." It was true; I hadn't wanted to fight them. I would have preferred to just be on my way without the need to hurt them.

Greg rubbed his jaw and grinned sheepishly. "We shouldn't have attacked. That was a tactical error on our part." He glanced at the Leprechaun. "I make plenty of those, however, so it's not surprising." That was probably as close to an apology as I was going to get, given that I was the one who had killed them and all. I hesitated briefly - was that a stealthy insult? I chose to interpret it as a compliment instead; it would save me mental effort to just accept it in a positive light. I gave one last wave before summoning my own wings and streaking off into the distance. They were an interesting group, I mused; they had no problems killing sleeping players but they kept their word once it was given. I'd be interested in tracking them down in the future, if only to keep tabs on them. It would be better to know where roving gangs of player killers were at all times, after all.

Before long, I came across the mountains in the distance. I had seen them from afar, but they rapidly increased in size as I approached them. I looked up into the sky. "Yeah, that explains why they're above the flight limit." Regretfully, I landed. "Now to find the entrance to the Ruger Corridor." According to the world map I pulled up, it was to the east of where I currently was. I set off at a run, following the base of the mountains. I needed to hurry up and get to Kirito; I was looking forward to seeing his appearance in the game. He had chosen Spriggan, the fairy race associated with the color black, but that didn't mean his appearance hadn't changed.

I rounded a corner and then suddenly, there was the entrance to the Ruger Corridor. It appeared to be under some sort of aqueduct; I peered over the edge, but the water flowing from the aqueduct just disappeared into the mists. I didn't understand the place's purpose at all, and I shrugged. It wasn't as if I needed to understand anyway. I stretched and looked around, hesitant to enter the cave just then. I didn't like small dark spaces, and that was what the Ruger Corridor was shaping up to be. I sighed. "Why did I agree to this?" I studied my surroundings as a means to delay the inevitable. The mountains were actually remarkably serene, without any of the explosions or cries that signified fighting. It was as if I was the only person in the world, alone with nature. I wouldn't mind living in the woods some day, I thought. I didn't want to be near people; they were noisy. Nature was much quieter. I turned back to the black opening that marked the abrupt shift into darkness, and I clenched my fists. I had to get going or I'd miss Kirito.

Several steps into the darkness and I was already feeling claustrophobic and paranoid - I liked having my back safe, but this was ridiculous. I kept checking behind me to make sure nobody was following; I varied my footstep rhythm to hear if there was somebody walking around in the darkness besides myself. I couldn't hear anything due to the nature of the acoustics in the cave; it echoed terribly. Finally, I sighed. "Fuck it." Closing my eyes, I activated Night Vision and opened my eyes again. The world had a slight green tint to it, but my surroundings were clear again. The Night Vision had pushed back the darkness. "Why didn't I do that from the start, again? Oh, right, I'm a moron," I muttered angrily. With new resolve, I continued to make my way through the cave, consulting my map occasionally. With all that had happened since I logged in, I had managed to forget the directions I had tried to memorize. And, of course, it didn't make it exactly easy to see when I had to turn as everything looked the same.

I turned a corner and stopped dead in my tracks, face growing cold. "Oh crap." I started to back away from the small band of what appeared to be Cave Orcs, trying to escape before they aggro'd on me. I took an extra step and accidentally kicked a pebble. Immediately, the Cave Orcs looked in my direction, their red eyes flashing with the signal that I was their new target. "Why me?" I muttered. "Those forums were absolutely useless. I hate everything right now." Regardless, I drew my dagger. I'd have to fight.

Or did I? I consulted my map, keeping one eye on the Cave Orcs at all times; the path I was on was the quickest way through the Ruger Corridor, but it wasn't the only way. If I took a detour and extended my journey, I'd be able to circumvent this particular gang of mobs. That wasn't to say there weren't more along the way, but given that they were on the longer and easier path, they'd probably be less threatening than what I was facing at the moment. I weighed my options; I could either run from the fight, delay my journey, and escape unharmed, or I could fight the Cave Orcs, most definitely take at least some damage, and be on my way through the faster passages. There was a smart option, available; running away would save the most overall time. I just didn't want to take it. I had never run from a fight that I didn't ask for in Aincrad, and I wouldn't start in Alfheim. They wanted me, they got me.

I twirled my Umbra Dagger and charged in, preparing to attack the Cave Orcs. As I closed, I quickly realized that I was, while not exactly outclassed, at a severe disadvantage. I had the speed and strength necessary to kill these creatures; I knew that. I had killed players that were more heavily armored and armed than these monsters. The problem was the sheer numbers the game could throw at me. The seven or eight Cave Orcs that I had noticed at the start quickly grew to insane numbers as more and more appeared and spawned in, despite the carnage I was causing; apparently, fighting in a cave would attract other monsters. The problem with the large numbers were that while I could easily handle a few at a time, I just had too little HP to survive for long. The issue was that I couldn't always watch my back while fighting by myself, and the large amount of numbers of my enemies meant that I would very quickly be surrounded.

"Agh!" I cried out as a Cave Orc slammed its fist into my back. I watched my health decrease to half, and I growled. Spinning, I lashed out with my dagger and carved the offending Cave Orc into pieces. I looked around, eyes darting left and right, taking in the scene. There was a brief opening in the lines of mobs where the Cave Orc I had just killed, but everywhere else I looked was filled with Cave Orcs. "Damn, this is bad..." I couldn't survive much longer. If I stayed where I was, I'd be dead and then I'd definitely be late meeting with Kirito. I didn't like it, but I had no choice; I had to run. "I still don't know how I get myself in these situations." I dashed toward the open slot, breaking through the lines. Unfortunately, it was in the way I had originally come from, meaning that I was backtracking. I felt my lips twist; it looked like I was taking the long way around anyway. I raced away, taking turn after turn with no particular goal in mind. After I was free from the Cave Orcs, I'd find my way from where I was. It wouldn't be too hard to navigate - hopefully.

I raced past a small alcove in the wall and screeched to a halt. I turned around and slipped into the area, jumping up and bracing myself high up on the wall. Cave Orcs were, if similar to the mob in SAO, reliant more on hearing than anything else. It came from being located in a dark, musty cave; sight and smell were relatively useless. A Cave Orc's ears were large, giving them very acute hearing; somehow, even in the total darkness of the cave they were able to fight without hitting each other often. They were still able to track me as I ran by following the sound of my footsteps. Hopefully by getting out of their direct line of sight and remaining silent, they would eventually grow tired of chasing me.

I heard the heavy breathing of the various Cave Orcs and held my own breath. I was glad I knew how to breathe silently, a trick I had picked up somewhere even though I didn't remember how or when I had learned it. With the ability to see granted by Night Vision, I watched with quiet anticipation as the Cave Orcs crossed in front of my hiding spot. They snuffled around, trying to find a clue as to my location, but my hiding spot was too good. After enough time had passed and none of them had found a clue toward my location, they disappeared into blue polygons. They had probably managed to stray outside of their designated territory, and so once they lost their target they couldn't remain in the immediate vicinity. I dropped down onto the ground with a satisfied smirk, but grimaced as soon as I glanced at my health. There was no way for me to regenerate health; I didn't have the Battle Healing or Meditations skills, and I didn't have access to healing magic yet. That meant I'd have to wander around with half-health; there was no way in hell I'd manage to take the short path without being at full health. I sighed, pulling up my map and searching for where I was. That meant I'd have to go around. I found my spot on the map and zoomed out slightly, looking for my next direction.

There was a town called Legrue near to my position, so I started off in that direction. I could ask for directions once I was safe in town and able to heal up. I didn't encounter any more trash mobs, something I was grateful for. Even though I was on high alert, I could still be surprised due to the lack of Future Step. With Future Step, I would have been warned whenever anything tried to attack with a Sword Skill, giving me enough time to react to it; however, without that warning I could be ambushed just as easily as everyone else.

An explosion echoed down the corridor I was taking, and I jerked in surprise. Why would there be an explosion? I sighed; of course the explosion came from the direction I was going. Of course; nothing could ever be easy for me, could it? I set off at a trot, jogging toward the source of the sound. I wasn't doing this because somebody might be in trouble, I told myself. I was doing this because I needed to get to Kirito's location as quickly as possible. Of course, knowing Kirito, he'd be immediately trying to save whoever needed to to be saved because he was a good guy. Me? I wasn't a good guy; I was just going to do whatever I could to help him out. Therefore, the correct option would be to find my way toward the explosion because Kirito would probably be there. I smiled to myself, pleased that my rationalization would hold up if people asked about it. Logic was a wonderful tool, giving me excuses to help others while being able to claim it was all in my benefit.

I broke out of the darkness to find myself over a lake, standing on a bridge. I deactivated my Night Vision to find that the town in front of my gave off quite a lot of light, in addition to the small lights scattered along the bridge. They reflected off of the red armor of the players in front of me, making the red gleam dully. There were two armored figures facing me, each with a large heavy shield. "Excuse me, but I'd like to get through," I said politely. No sense in antagonizing more players than necessary.

"Sorry pal, but you'll have to wait until we're done," replied the player on the left.

I glanced up at the end of the bridge; a large wall made of dirt and stone had risen up, blocking the end of the bridge. Another explosion rang out from that location with an accompanying wash of hot air. "Can I ask what you guys are doing? See, I really need to get to Legrue."

"Like I said, pal, this is Salamander business. Butt out," the player growled.

I should have recognized that they were Salamanders by their red color scheme and liberal use of fire magic. Salamanders were associated with those two attributes; although their fire magic was certainly devastating, it seemed that the Salamanders also had the advantage of being the race with the most raw strength. It was said that the strongest Salamander fighter was the strongest player in the game. Of course, that no longer held true due to the fact that Kirito was playing, but it didn't matter. Thinking of Kirito, he and that friend of his should have been passing through about that time. It would be just like him to get himself in trouble somehow. "I'm just gonna take a wild guess here about your business. I think it has to do with a pair of players, one a Spriggan and the other a Sylph, and you guys are ganging up on them." Not that there was anything wrong with winning through numerical superiority; only an idiot expected that forces would be fair. The trick was making sure that your forces were superior, not the other way around.

The two guards gasped and looked at each other. "How'd he know?" the player on the right asked. The other player just shrugged.

I nodded once. "Right, then. Hang on a second." I took a few steps away and started taking deep breaths. The two Salamanders looked at each other, confused. I took one last deep breath. "Hey, Kirito! When you die, do I get your stuff?" I shouted as loudly as possible. My sardonic tone would be almost immediately recognizable. If I got a response, then Kirito was the Spriggan the Salamanders were targeting.

A few seconds later, I received my answer. "You're late, Rythin!" Kirito shouted.

"Bite me! I got a little sidetracked!" I bellowed back. I looked at the two Salamanders; they were wincing every time I shouted. "Sorry about that," I said, shifting back to a normal tone of voice. "You guys sure you won't let me pass? Those two are the friends I was supposed to meet." I was hoping they'd back down and let me through; I didn't feel like fighting. My health was low, and I didn't want to get killed. More importantly, I wanted to prove to myself that I didn't deliberately search for fights.

"I told you once, pal, and I'll only say this one more time." The spokesperson shifted his tower shield into a more comfortable position, conveniently bringing it into a guard position. I was sure he meant no ill will in the action, naturally. Naturally. "Butt out. This doesn't bother you. If you don't get out of here..." He rattled his shield menacingly.

That was the wrong move for him to make - it turned him into a threat. Sighing, I waved a hand carelessly. "Fine, then." I had tried to resolve this peacefully, but they didn't go for it. As much as I didn't want to fight, I needed to help Kirito more. I started to walk away, surreptitiously pulling out two regular throwing knives from my coat pockets and concealing them, one in each hand. "That's too bad, I guess." I whirled and launched the knives at each player's head with an snap of my wrists. As soon as they left my hands they streaked toward the players; I had made sure to aim for the eye. If they didn't block it, that would be a crippling blow, allowing me an easier time fighting them. If it didn't work and the players got their shields up in time, well... I had other plans that would work just as well. I sprinted toward the two startled players as soon as I tossed the knives; closing in to them was in any plan, regardless of whether or not my projectiles hit the mark.

Unfortunately, the players reacted quickly enough to avoid my initial attack. Swearing, they hunkered down behind their tower shields, using them to deflect the knives. The two knives I had thrown spun off into the distance, landing somewhere in the water. I couldn't see where they went; vision wasn't excellent in dim lighting, and following a moving object in the darkness was nearly impossible for me. Regardless, that meant I had to shift to the segment of plans where the knives didn't work.

I took in the scene in a heartbeat; both players were hidden behind their shields, putting the tower shield's overwhelming defense to good use by being completely hidden, with no part of their body open to attack. That prevented me from weakening them using pinpricks from my knife. That meant that like a snake constricting its prey, I had to go around. Or, to be more accurate, over. The problem with using a tower shield for full defense was that you couldn't see what your opponent was doing; you had to rely on your attacking partners to give you the updates. These two were obviously more used to working with fighters instead of being rear guard. When acting as rear guard, it was more important to know where the enemy was and less important to survive. If I had been in their place, I would have had my partner put up his shield and been the lookout myself, ducking behind the shield if my enemies tried anything. These two were probably new to rear guard; that gave me the opening I wanted. Overall length of mental calculations: one second. Conscious decision: go over the shields.

As soon as I got close enough to the pair of players, I lunged for the top of their shields. I grabbed the edge of the top and flipped myself over the two players, almost throwing myself over them feet first; as I passed, I could see their eyes widen and I gave them a smug grin in response. I landed behind them; I unsheathed my Umbra Dagger and spun, shoving it into the left player's chest. He gurgled something incoherent and slumped against his tower shield, knocking it over. The player and his shield crashed to the ground to the lovely sound of metal clattering. He would survive long enough for me to deal with his friend, but the shock of being stabbed in the chest would probably keep him on the ground. Emotional trauma was almost always more paralyzing than physical trauma, at least in the virtual world.

The second player stumbled backwards, his steps taking him closer and closer to the edge of the bridge. I was filled by a sudden desire to see if the fire elementals could swim, and I deliberately stepped closer and closer to him. The player was panicking; the only thing he could think of was getting away from me. That suited my purposes just fine. I dashed up toward him, using my Sprint skill to close the distance almost immediately – the air behind me rushed to fill the gap where I had been standing with a crack. It was a simple trick to never used my full speed at the start of a battle; if I could avoid using it, that meant that I could still surprise anybody in a second fight. By the sudden gasp from the other player and the way his face drained of color, he probably didn't even see me as I crossed the distance from where I was to right in front of him. To him, it probably looked like I just disappeared and reappeared in front of him. I grinned evilly; he tried to take another step back, but his foot only met empty air. He started to lose his balance, swearing, but I reached out and grabbed the front of his armor. He looked back at me, confused, and I clenched my right fist. Pulling back, I slammed my fist into his gut, puncturing his stomach with the talons on my glove and letting go of him with my other hand. The force of my blow actually gave him upward momentum to begin with; he traced an arc in the air before landing in the water. I leaned over, peering at the water where he disappeared. "And the verdict is..." Suddenly, the water starting thrashing with the dark shape of a monster. A few seconds later, a red orb of flame appeared, hovering just over the water's surface. "Water beats fire. Neat."

A choking sound from behind me made me turn. The other Salamander was struggling to his feet despite the dagger displayed prominently in his chest. I walked over and kicked him in the chin, knocking him back down. "You really should have let me go meet up with Kirito," I said to him calmly. "I didn't really want to fight." It was strange; when I didn't want to fight, events seemed to conspire against me to make me fight. Maybe I really was subconsciously searching for fights. I hoped that wasn't the case. "At least, I'll make it quick. Minimum humiliation that way, right?" I drew my fist back, preparing to cave his skull in. "Oh, and for next time? Make sure there's an actual fighter back here with you guys at rear guard. That way you have offense and defense." With those words of advice, I punched him in the face. The talons tore through his face, leaving large red rends in the virtual skin, before he faded into red smoke. My Umbra Dagger clattered to the ground under the red Remain Light; I picked it up and sheathed it. "Good fight, gentlemen. Better luck next time." I turned away and faced Legrue; there seemed to be a squad of mages. They were still facing toward where Kirito was, raining fire and explosions with abandon. Their concentration was remarkable; even with the sudden carnage behind them they were focused and casting spells.

I was about to start carving up spellcasters when a large tornado of fire appeared near the stone wall. My eyes widened; that was some impressive fire magic. Maybe there was something to magic after all. Then a dark shape appeared in the center of the tornado, and my eyes opened even wider. Unconsciously, I took a step back, shaken; I recognized that shape. The ram horns, the snake-like tail... that shape almost killed my friends. The flames were blown away as The Gleam Eyes stretched, clenching its clawed fists. It spat a small bit of flames, and I gulped. My thoughts were thrown into chaos; the memories from the 74th Floor mixing with the current fights and sensations creating a sense of déjà vu and confusion. I blinked and I was by the entrance to a dark room only lit by blue flames; I took a step back and I was on a bridge over a lake. The boss's red eyes gleamed with malice and it let out a huge roar, screaming defiance to the air.

Somehow, that familiar roar snapped me out of my panic. I felt the calm wash over me as I reorganized my thoughts, forcing them back into line. I could have emotions later; now was the time to deal with fighting. I lunged forward and grabbed a Salamander mage by the back of his robes. I dragged him backwards; he was too terrified to struggle. I slammed him against the side of the bridge. "Do you want to live?" I hissed in his face. He nodded shakily, and I let go of his robes, letting him slump down against the bridge. "Just stay here and stay down," I said. I knew how The Gleam Eyes worked, and it probably wouldn't go against an obvious non-combatant. I turned back to try to help out other Salamanders, but it was too late. I heard screams from the front of the Salamander's formation; The Gleam Eyes was already wreaking havoc. As I watched, a player impaled by its claws exploded, leaving a Remain Light that floated in the air.

"Idiots! Don't break formation!" I heard a mage shout. He was a fool; the only way to survive against The Gleam Eyes was to keep moving. It was far too strong to stand and fight normally. Even Kirito, with his Dual Wielding, barely survived against it, and he was the strongest fighter in the game. "It's not real! Don't be afraid!" Actually, be very afraid, I mentally corrected him. "He can't hurt us if you stick to the plan and stay in formation!"

With a roar, The Gleam Eyes chomped down on another player and grabbed a third in one hand. He crunched down, killing the player, and threw the one in his hand at the ground. I couldn't see what happened to that one, but I assumed that they had died. When you were attacked by The Gleam Eyes, you usually died. The same mage that shouted earlier, probably the leader, tried to shout more commands. "H-hit him with an explosion spell!" Interesting choice of pronouns, I realized. They used the masculine him rather than the gender-neutral it, which meant that The Gleam Eyes was actually a male. That meant it was probably a player, transformed through an unknown means that was probably magic. If it was a male player and was attacking the Salamanders... I grinned. That meant it was probably Kirito. Fitting, really; Kirito soloed that boss and as such deserved to use its power. I briefly wondered what form I would take if I used that same spell? I briefly envisioned myself in the body of The Venomous One and a wry grin twisted my lips.

The group of mages tried to cast a spell; I heard them chanting. Unfortunately for them, Kirito wasn't going to let them finish their spell. With a roar, he charged them, leaping into their midst. The mages lost their concentration and broke the spell; before the spell could backfire, Kirito lashed out with his tail and sent them flying. Two players died immediately. With a roar, Kirito slammed his claws into the ground, killing two more players. I had taken a few seconds to kill two players; Kirito was carving through his enemies by twos and threes, killing them like flies. He stomped his foot, roaring, and the head mage fumbled his own spell. He took a few steps back. "Retreat...retreat, retreat, retreat!" he screamed. Kirito leaped over them, flipping in the air, and landed behind their lines. His tail almost lashed me in the face, but I didn't move. With three swipes, he killed the three other mages instantly. Whatever spell he had used, it was very powerful.

The only combatant left was the head mage. I could tell he was the most powerful mage by the difference in his clothes; he was wearing unique robes. Rather than face the transformed Kirito, he turned tail and ran for the bridge. I shook my head. "Bad move." He probably knew about the lake monsters, but judged them to be a lesser threat than Kirito. He'd die either way, so I didn't care. He landed in the lake with a splash; after a scream and the sounds of a body being consumed, I looked over to see a red Remain Light floating on the lake. "Hm. I don't think I'd like to try this sushi. It might bite back." Kirito turned around to search for more combatants, and his glowing red eyes landed on me. I gulped. "Uh-oh." He took a step toward me, and I raised my hands high over my head. "I surrender, I surrender!" I didn't even care that I was looking like an idiot; Kirito looked like he was out of control. He leaned down, preparing to attack me, and I swore. My best bet would be to run, but where could I run? I was on a bridge.

"Wait, Kirito! Don't kill him!" cried out a female player. Kirito froze, and straightened up. I looked at my savior; she was probably the Leafa Kirito had mentioned. She stopped in the center of the bridge and unsheathed her sword; it was a katana, just like Klein used. I noticed that she was pointing it at a robed figure - it was the mage I had saved. What an idiot he turned out to be.

Kirito's form as The Gleam Eyes shimmered. His image glowed with light; when it dissipated, my friend - his face was different, more angular, but I recognized him - was standing in front of me. I grinned slightly. "Hey, Kirito."

It was surprising the amount of meaning I could put into those two words.


Edit: 6/2/2015 - modified the characters in Ziria's ganking party. Their personalities shifted later on and I wished to reflect that here so that characterization was constant.


A review asked how long each chapter took to write. The answer is exactly 28 days - each chapter is posted four weeks after I start work on it.

Many thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or left a review. Special thanks go to Antex -The Legendary Zoroark and o realisticFantasy o for being dedicated reviewers.